So, I’m a few days in already and I haven’t said much about where I’m living. For all you know, I could be living in a house made of mud in the middle of the jungle! That’s the dream, actually, but that won’t come until my last week here when I stay with the Maasai. For now, here’s my humble abode:

 It’s called the Arusha Njiro House, which is used exclusively for Work the World students. It’s very similar to a university dorm. There are rooms upstairs and a couple downstairs with 2 sets of bunk beds and a bathroom each. They also include mosquito nets around the beds, which was so funny to get used to last year. I can remember begging my mom for one of those in middle school, they looked like hanging “curtains” that some girls would put above their beds to make it look like a princess bed. Here, that’s hardly the purpose – protecting us from mosquitoes is much more important, but they look very similar. Moms, here’s a future tip: if your daughter ever pulls that out as a wish of hers, go for the cheap mosquito nets over the expensive American curtains! 

The lower level also has a living room, dining room, and kitchen. There are 2 programme managers, Brian and Fidelis, who really take care of us during our time here. Witness, the cook, prepares all of our breakfast and dinner meals during the week. Susan also helps, and we have another housekeeper too. I’m only a few days in and they already feel like family. Last night, Witness and I were dancing to her favorite song while doing the dishes. They are incredibly welcoming and gracious, as many Tanzanians are. Outside is a large patio with lots of clotheslines (say goodbye to washers and dryers) and room to sit and play and soak up some sun when the clouds aren’t in the way. The whole property is surrounded by a high wall and “electric” fence that really isn’t on too much, but the sign on it is intimidating enough. Emmanuel and Innocent are the main security guards that work around the clock to make sure we’re safe. The staff here is incredible; they make this place feel like home!

There are 28 people in the house right now, and the most it can hold is 32. The entire main house is full of students and some of the support staff live in a house next door on the property. Fun fact: right now, the count is 27 girls and 1 guy. Yes, Horned Frogs, it’s true – the TCU ratio really can follow you outside of the Fort Worth bubble. Some girls have already figured out that there’s a group of 4 guys coming in this weekend, and they’re very excited. I couldn’t help but laugh at their disappointed reaction when they found out that they were dentistry students, not doctors!

I’m expecting the number of students in the house to change quite a bit while I’m here. Most of the girls that just arrived are only staying for 2 to 3 weeks, and there are at least one or two students coming in every weekend. A lot of the others came in groups as well, especially this past weekend. The fact that I traveled here alone was pretty surprising to most of them! There are 2 girls from Canada living in the same room as me and I’ve already been mistaken as a Canadian twice today. Maybe it’s time to start working on my Canadian accent! (Okay, you’re right. There is no Canadian accent. Except for the ‘Newfies’ from Newfoundland, as they call them. I’ll keep working on that British one instead.)

I hope to be able to share more about some of the girls here as I get to know them better. So far, they are all very wonderful and their backgrounds and cultural roots are fascinating to me. I think they know me so far as the American that asks a lot of questions… I’m okay with that reputation! I haven’t lived in a dorm for about 2 years and it will be a challenge getting used to that lifestyle again. My idealistic heart wants to be friends with everyone, but my realistic mind knows that it won’t be easy to build that many friendships in such a short time. Thankfully, everyone is friendly and welcoming regardless of whether or not they came in a group. That I can thank God for!

Kesho,

Allie